


Check the Date

by Raaj



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, New Year's Resolutions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 15:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17226395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raaj/pseuds/Raaj
Summary: Ann makes resolutions for the new year.





	Check the Date

As early as December, Ann had started making her list of resolutions for the next year. It wasn't such a big tradition in Japan, but Ann really wanted to improve herself. She had already started in little ways, because she wanted to show Shiho she could be strong, but Makoto had been showing her ways to break down goals into smaller concrete steps with deadlines and all, and making a fresh start with the calendar seemed like a great idea.

She had an entire list of goals: slimming down, toning muscle, improving her posture, studying French and Italian to have a chance at breaking into their fashion scenes, learning to act...

And then...Christmas had happened. The New Year's Eve she'd hoped would be spent with Ren turned out completely different. So much lonelier.

"I really wish he could be here with us," she murmured, touching the window of the accessway as she looked out to the crowd celebrating. The public still didn't know how much the Thieves had risked for them just a week ago on Christmas Eve, and how bravely Morgana had faced the truth of his existence. They didn't know the sacrifice Ren had made to keep the rest of the team safe.

They _would_  know that Ren was an innocent man. That was the resolution the Thieves were making, and it was the only thing keeping Ann from crying. She could see all these happy people and the night sky, soon to be lit up with fireworks, but what was Ren seeing? A guard and four walls?

They had to get him out. They would get him out. They were the Phantom Thieves, and they were taking their leader back.

That was her most important resolution now. Ren's freedom came before anything else.

After plans were made, the Thieves broke up and left the accessway on their individual paths. The fireworks show was just beginning, and Ann paused in her steps, looking up for a moment.

She really wanted to watch these with Ren next year. With that wish, she realized her second resolution for the new year:

She wanted to have a stronger relationship with Ren. He had done so much for her, for everyone, that it had just burned on Christmas Eve, when she realized something was wrong and he wasn't confiding in her. And she'd...made some really bad assumptions. That he wasn't happy and was just pretending for her sake, that maybe even he wasn't happy with her but wasn't going to break up with her on Christmas Eve after a fight with a god. She loved Ren, but he never really volunteered how he was feeling, and sometimes her mind went crazy trying to fill in the blanks. She'd actually thought she was bothering him.

He'd chosen to spend his last night of freedom with her, and she'd left him alone. If she'd known, she never would have left. Hell, she would have made Sae pry them apart in the morning. And yeah, she knew she wasn't the only one at fault in the situation--Ren could have told her from the start what was wrong. But he'd given her support so many times. So, she'd ask him to be more open with her...but she would also try to be more patient with him along the way.

(And, well, hopefully they'd avoid any situations as dramatic as "someone has to go to the police before everyone gets arrested" in the future. That would definitely help.)

The modeling resolutions would still get done, but maybe the dates on some steps would be changed. She had a date to make up with Ren first.

* * *

The next year had a lot to make up for. But at the end of it, Ann was waiting to watch the fireworks with both Ren and Morgana, both on vacation from Ren's hometown, so she thought it had gone well enough. Her goals had been pretty successful, too. The fitness goals? Those had just been a matter of putting in the time and effort, and getting a little help from Ryuji; she'd already been in better shape from Phantom Thievery. Now she just needed to maintain and not go on any crazy crepe binges. French and Italian? A little challenging to learn both at once, but she was making decent progress. At least, she was pretty sure she'd be able to greet people, thank them and get directions if she ever went to either country, and that was a definite start. Acting? ...Acting. She'd always thought the others had been exaggerating how terrible her acting skills were by at least a bit. Then the class she was in started recording everyone's performances. Oof. She was getting a little better, especially now that she could see all the things she needed to improve on, but "learn to act" was back on the resolutions list.

"You can do it," Ren said when she told him. "I believe you can break in to movies." His warm smile turned a bit cheeky as he added, "But I'm not sure I'd recommend period pieces."

"You jerk," she laughed, bumping him with her hip. She was never going to live 'Ann Windsor' down, was she? Even Morgana, who'd gotten over his crush but still sometimes gushed over her, was snickering with amusement as he sat on the railing alongside them in the accessway. "But yeah, I actually want to start auditioning this coming year. Even if I don't get the part, I'll be getting practice, and maybe feedback too."

"That sounds like a wonderful goal, Ann," Morgana purred. "I'm sure you already know what my goal for the New Year's is."

"Hmm..." Ann played at having to think, tapping her chin, but yeah. Morgana wasn't hard to guess. "Finding a way to become human?"

"We already found the way!" the cat exclaimed. "There's that shadow that turned itself into a human in Inaba! He said all that stupid stuff about pushups and situps, but Ren and I figured it out, it's actually about--" he stammered a bit. "Er. Cognition. It's about cognition...and I'm a master at that. So I can definitely change my own."

He said it forcefully, but with a touch of self-consciousness that automatically had Ann reaching out to reassure him. She had a feeling that it was something a bit more specific than simply 'cognition', but she wouldn't press and make him embarrassed. Not now. "I still can't believe you guys found a shadow in Inaba," Ann said. "You two are magnets for trouble, huh?"

"Teddie's friendly, and so is the rest of the 'Investigation Team'," Ren reminded her. "Not sure I'd call that trouble."

Ann tilted her head at him, because hadn't a couple of them been stalking him at first? What with their 'investigating'. But she let it slide. It had taken him a while to tell her about the situation--he hadn't been able to avoid drama entirely this year either--but he had told her. And it was resolved now. "They're still on for golden week, right?"

"Yeah, they want everyone to come on down if they can. Amagi-san's already made the reservations at the inn."

She'd get to be with Ren then. She'd get to be with Ren all next school year, once he started classes at University of Tokyo. And they were together now. She smiled, reaching for his hand and lacing their fingers together. Yeah. This year had turned out pretty well. "Hey, what about you? Do you have a resolution?"

"Hm. To spend time with the best girlfriend?"

" _That's_ already going to happen."

He grinned, looking out to the crowd on the streets. The view outside wasn't much different from last year, but it was so much better with him here to see it. "I think I'm going to volunteer for a political campaign," he said. "I still don't think I'm a viable candidate, but I can help someone else who will fight for reform get in."

"Experience for your own campaign later on," Ann told him, getting a huffed laugh.

"You and Yoshida-san..."

He trailed off. The countdown was starting; she could tell him how great a candidate he'd be later.

"5...4...3...2...1!"

Fireworks, and a new year.

They were going to do so much together.

 


End file.
